


Late Bar

by strawberryrhodes



Category: Duran Duran
Genre: 1980s, F/M, First Person, POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 08:29:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15239433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryrhodes/pseuds/strawberryrhodes
Summary: Simon liked John better when he was Nigel. Nigel never stole all the girls in the bar. Nigel never let Simon sit in the corner all alone. Nigel never took three birds to his bedroom at once. This John guy is a real dick.





	Late Bar

Honestly, why couldn't he just stick with bloody Nigel? Now that he's gone and taken off those glasses and changed his name to something slick, girls suddenly think he's a different guy. That's not even remotely true, despite what they think. I see right through the little weedy rat. John's over by the bar, smiling and nodding and laughing at the all the right times, spinning tales of wild tour antics that never happened as the harem of girls gathered around him giggle. He orders a round of double shots for the lot of them.

"It's my treat!" He smirks, winking at the second hottest one. Within twenty minutes he'll be bored of her. If he manages to wrangle himself a line then she'll be lucky if she sees two minutes of his time.

The bartender silently polishes glasses behind the bar while he isn't tending to John's every need and answering to his every beck and call. Some of the girls who John has tossed by the roadside are trying to chat him up drunkenly. They'll be without success. They should really know that a man wearing more makeup than them is not going to be remotely interested in anything with tits on.

I'm not usually one to sit in the corner and stir my drink morosely, but ever since John's been showing up an hour earlier I've been left with no choice. He snaps up all the birds before I even walk into the room. This is the third night in a row I've been relegated to the corner couch, sulking in the dark over a pint of beer and a shot glass or two. Andy spends his time out the back in the coke van, Nick runs off to tend to other matters (most likely taking too long to get ready and finding everything is closed when he finally arrives), and Roger was never interested in this type of scene. 

Every night I watch John whisk away two or three lucky winners up to his hotel room, where they lavish him with attention before he kicks them all out once he's been satisfied. They all come crawling out howling amongst themselves with laughter and shrieking with disbelief.

"I can't believe we just slept with John Taylor!" 

"I'm so jealous that you got to touch his..!" 

"He kissed me! With tongue!" 

It's be difficult to imagine the same thing happening six months ago, with shy geeky Nigel. The tall bendy lad with the glasses. You'd be more likely to see one nerdy guy slinking off to his room in disappointment after no girl in the club would listen to him speak after catching a glimpse of his face. What a difference contact lenses and a name change make.

It was shaping up to be the same night as always. John was winding down. I could see the restlessness in his eyes and the darkening of his pupils. He stood up abruptly and beckoned to three of them. They bounced off eagerly to follow him, shooting snarky teasing glances back at the others as if to say 'I got John Taylor and YOU didn't!'

This left me, the cake faced bartender, and a gathering of intoxicated girls who were quickly growing upset. And... wait a minute. I hadn't noticed the figure in the corner yet. The figure who's eyes were locked directly on mine. The figure who stood to reveal a rather feminine body cloaked in a long black coat, covering a silky deep crimson dress. She approached me and gestured to the seat next to me. I nodded, and she sat down.

Her face captivated me. It was one I hadn't seen before. All girls these days seemed to look the same. Blonde hair teased up all big, bright blue eyes, and colourful sparkly makeup that they only used to draw attention away from areas they weren't so fond of. Not to say that that look was bad, it was just so prevalent that I'd grown weary of it. This girl was different. Her eyes were darker, a shade of hazel or brown that I had to look closely into to truly discern it. Her hair was smooth and appeared healthy and soft, untouched by curling irons or bleach. Her face was devoid of unnatural colouring. She was, to put it bluntly, captivating.

She raised her hand out in an invitation for a handshake. Usually women greeted me by blushing and gushing about how much they love me. This was a change. I took her hand and shook it.

"Natalia. It's nice to meet you." She said, smiling brightly at me.

"Uh, hello, I'm Simon. It's a pleasure." I managed to stutter out. It was honestly a wonder I still had speaking capabilities. Usually I was so charming with women. What was happening?

"What brings you here, Simon?" Natalia asked. I ran my finger around the rim of my glass.

"Well, I'm part of the house band here. I guess I like to just take in the atmosphere once we've played for the night." She nodded sagely in response.

"I heard you guys play," Natalia grinned. "I thought you were very good." I blushed.

"Oh, really? Thank you! We actually have, uh, a cassette of our first single. I have a copy if you'd like one. It's called Planet Earth. We played it tonight." 'What is wrong with my mouth and why is it running away from me!' I cursed myself in my head.

"I saw that bassist of yours earlier. I came here with my friends but he seems to be the one who's left with them." Natalia sighed. I chuckled a bit at that.

"Yeah, that's Nigel - sorry, John - for you." I quickly corrected myself, but not before Natalia started laughing.

"Nigel? As in the same name as the song Making Plans For Nigel?"

"That's the one! He changed it to John as he's 'hitting the big time' and needs to sound more like it." I rolled my eyes at the thought. 

"Don't tell me your name isn't your name either!" Natalia joked. 

"No, no, though on second thoughts it sounds like it is. I'm Simon Le Bon, it's nice to meet you." This remark sent us both into giggles. 

"I didn't know I'm talking to French royalty! You should've told me!" 

"Well, I am of Huguenot descent, I'll have you know."

"Oh, really?"

We kept on like this for another hour, until the bartender came and collected our glasses with a somber 'sorry, we're closing now'. The conversation continued all the way to the pavement outside, where stars twinkled above and the night sky set a deep blue haze. Our breath turned into wisps of fog, curling and mingling together in the cold. 

"It's been lovely talking with you Natalia. Maybe I'll see you next week." I said, standing next to her, shivering slightly.

"Maybe you will Simon. Maybe you will." She smiled at me, slipping a small piece of paper into my coat pocket. We stood facing each other, and I could see her nose and the tips of her ears flush pink at the touch of the chill wind. Before I could speak, she placed both hands on my cheeks and leaned up to give me a kiss on the lips. Though short, it was soft and sweet. Just like her. She gave me a smile and turned on her heel to walk away without another word. I stood in the harsh breeze for a minute trying to comprehend what just happened. I reached my hand into my pocket and pulled out a note written on the back of a torn off receipt.

I'll be at the same table in a week's time. Be there or be Nigel! Natalia x

I tucked the note back into my pocket and headed up the street to the hotel. It was beginning to look like I wouldn't have to spend the rest of my nights watching John collect his pickings to take back to room 7609. Things were about to look up for Simon Le Bon.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first TMAGDDFF fic (The Movement Against Gross Duran Duran Fan Fiction) and I am happy to share it all with you! I'm not sure if I'm going to add any more to this one but I think it stands well on its own. I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> (If you'd like to check out more about TMAGDDFF feel free to check out @strawberryrhodes on Instagram!)


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